Witch
Witches are female spellcasters, the flip side of the coin to sorcerers. Puberty usually marks the onset of spellcasting abilities in this race of hereditary magic users. Exceptions do exist, as Savannah was able to spellcast quite young. Whether she was precocious or whether this is a result from being a sorcerer-witch hybrid is uncertain. Witches attain their full powers when they first menstruate, so the neophytes were the girls newly coming into their powers. On their sixteenth birthday, assuming they've reached first menses, witches are initiated, meaning they receive voting rights and begin learning second-level spells. At twenty-one they graduate to the third level and, at twenty-five, to the fourth and final tier. Witches in the Supernatural Community Due to centuries of suppression following the witch burnings and inquisition, witches generally keep a very low profile. Their one unifying body, the Coven, is more focused on hiding than on actually teaching new witches. In her brief stint as leader of the North American Coven, Paige Winterbourne tried to change this attitude and attempted to better integrate witches into the supernatural society at large. Unfortunately, this was to little effect. Following the events in Industrial Magic, Paige left the Coven for what it was and proceeded to set up the Sabrina School: a long-distance learning program where young witches could learn to harness and refine their powers, so they could be more confident in their place in the supernatural world. Offspring Witches, when they bear children, are believed to always bear daughters (as sorcerers are believed to always father sons). Whether this is actual fact or a mere tendency is unclear. Two known exceptions exist, both the result of a sorcerer/witch union, which would necessarily disprove one of the two concepts. Both Kristof Nast (by Eve Levine) and Christopher "Kit" Bae (by Diane Enright) fathered daughters, Savannah Levine and Victoria "Tori" Enright, respectively. It is notable that both known results of sorcerer/witch unions turned out to be witches. Although this is well within the realm of normal statistical probability it could also be possible that Witches always bear daughters even when impregnated by a Sorcerer. History The earliest references to true witches show that witches were valued for their healing and magical skills, but in Medieval Europe, they were viewed with growing suspicion. Until that time, sorcerers could only cast small spells using hand motions, but witches taught them to enhance this power by other spell-casting elements such as incantations, potions, magical objects, and etc. In return for their teachings, witches asked sorcerers to join them in a mutually advantageous convenant. When a nobleman wanted help to defeat his enemies, he'd consult a sorcerer and would take the request to the witches and together they would cast the appropriate spells. In turn, sorcerers would provide for and protect the witches with his wealth and social standing. Witches gained protection and a guaranteed income. During the Spanish Inquisition, the sorcerers turned on the witches and left them to be burned. Witches and Sorcerers Witches and Sorcerers had a positive and mutually beneficial relationship. They helped each other out and had were friendly towards one another, until the Inquisition. The sorcerers turned on the witches and left them to die. Traditionally, rivalry exists between sorcerers and witches, each accusing the other of betraying them to the Spanish Inquisition. This rivalry logically dates from that era in history. The Cortez cabal is most notably held responsible since they were heavily involved in the inquisition. Sorcerers are also generally seen as being superior to witches in terms of power - much to the protest of witches, but this is likely due to the fact that sorcerers are far more organized and active in the supernatural community, being in charge of the Cabals and that sorcerer magic tends to lean more to destructive and offensive applications. The rivalry between the two races has separated witches and sorcerers for centuries. The fact that witches and sorcerers recognize each other's races when eye meets eye does little to help that situation. Known Witches * Julia Aiken * Wendy Aiken * Victoria Alden * Anita Barrington * Tori Enright * Diane Enright * Greta Enright *Olivia Enright * Eve Levine * Gwen * Margaret Levine * Dana MacArthur * Gillian MacArthur * Lynsay MacArthur * Paige Winterbourne * Ruth Winterbourne * Savannah Levine * Rachel Sutton Trivia * Witches can, with difficulty learn Sorcerer magic and can cast Sorcerer spells but at a reduced potency. Category:Races Category:Witch